The other day I was asked what would allow someone to achieve their goals when they seem to be so far away. My immediate gut-level reaction was “bravery”. It was not the answer the other person was expecting. I began exploring how others experienced bravery and their ability to recognize it in themselves.
Have Faith
When life is tough, we prefer to think that ‘the tough get going’. We like to believe that we are the masters of our own fate and destiny. Sorry, it’s not true. Have faith. That’s what we’re left with in moments of struggle, when we are really knocked to the canvas. Have faith. We can let go of our ambitions, see our hopes float away, see our best laid plans laid to waste, and after the anger and hurt subside, we can have faith…. Or we go back and try to play the game again.
Let’s Get Messy
So many people start a therapy process because they want real change. They want to change their relationship, their place in the world, their ability to cope with the things that stress them. People don’t want a band-aid, they want to experience a different way of being. When therapy is great, that is what people can experience.
Faith Isn’t What You Know. It’s What You Believe.
My faith is a collection of ideas, beliefs, and even sentiments that I believe but don’t know for sure. In fact I can’t know it for sure. That’s why it’s called “faith” and not “knowledge”. I can “know” what the tenets of a faith are, like tenets of Judaism or Christianity, but I can’t really believe them until I come to them, myself, in my practices of faith; that is, in living life and bringing my faith practice into my life.
Being Depressed and Suffering from Depression
As most of you can imagine, being a therapist is not always an easy job because each person carries so many quirks and greatness and struggles that are unique. We are all unique individuals with different genetic makeups, different temperament, different experiences growing up, and different reactions to events and people. Therefore, it is not always easy to categorize each one of us into a diagnostic
Coping Skills
As many of us living in Massachusetts know, we have been dumped with a humungous pile of snow that has created issues on the road that has made us feel anxious while getting to places late. It also makes us think about what a waste of time this is to be sitting in traffic watching people not know how to navigate the road when we do this every single year. (This year worst than others in my objective opinion!) Some of us do not do well being stuck in a confined space for too long and it raises our anger and anxiety. As angry and anxious as we feel, can we take this opportunity to do some self-care and practice staying calm. You have nowhere to go anyway, the triggering stimulus is there, perfect opportunity for in vivo exposure.